2of 2DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 29: Quarterback Brock Osweiler #17 of the Denver Broncos passes the ball against the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 29, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)Photo: Justin Edmonds, Stringer

Imagine what the Texans might accomplish in the draft if they signed a veteran quarterback like Denver's Brock Osweiler.

They wouldn't have to select a quarterback in the first round. They wouldn't have to use picks to trade up to get the quarterback they wanted. They could target other areas of need.

As a Texans fan, would you get excited if they signed Osweiler and drafted Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott in the first round?

It's wishful thinking for Texans fans. I can't find anyone in the NFL who believes the Broncos are going to allow Osweiler to slip through their fingers, and it's doubtful Elliott will be available when they make the 22nd overall pick.

But, hey, it's OK to dream, right?

When free agency begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday, every quarterback on the market is going to be linked to the Texans by agents leaking mostly lies to gullible media to jack up the price of their clients.

That's just the way the NFL does business this time of year.

It's started and won't end until general manager Rick Smith fills the most glaring need on the team.

Broncos have first shot

There are reports the Texans want to trade for San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick (not true), sign Washington's Robert Griffin III after he's released (not true) and pursue Osweiler (possibly true).

In his fourth season with the Broncos, Osweiler, 25, was 5-2 as a starter when Peyton Manning was injured.

The Broncos are trying to re-sign Osweiler, who helped them earn a Super Bowl ring, but agent Jimmy Sexton is going to get every possible dollar for his 6-7, 240-pound client.

Talk about great timing. Osweiler has the Broncos over the proverbial barrel at the worst possible time for them.

Sexton will tell the Broncos that Philadelphia set the standard last week when the Eagles signed Sam Bradford to a two-year contract averaging $18 million per year.

The Broncos will counter that Osweiler isn't worth that much because he's started only seven games in his career. There were reports Saturday that they increased their offer to $15 million a year.

Sexton will argue Osweiler is worth what the market bears.

If Osweiler hasn't re-signed with the Broncos by Monday, Sexton has three days to negotiate with other teams even though Osweiler won't be able to sign with a new team before free agency begins Wednesday.

The Broncos are in a difficult spot. They're paying a price for success. They have salary-cap issues and must re-sign some of their prominent players.

They put the exclusive franchise tag on outside linebacker Von Miller. They must re-sign Osweiler and defensive end Malik Jackson, among others.

If Manning doesn't retire, he'll be released Monday or Tuesday. The Broncos need the $19 million in salary-cap money they'll save when Manning is no longer their property.

General manager John Elway is approaching other veterans in an attempt to restructure their contracts to free up cap dollars.

The Broncos can't afford to lose Osweiler. He threw for 2,126 yards and 10 touchdowns, completed 61.3 percent of his passes and suffered six interceptions playing for coach Gary Kubiak last season.

Learned from one of the best

If they let him get away, the Broncos don't have a starting quarterback. Osweiler and Manning would be in the wind. What would Kubiak do? Recommend Matt Schaub?

I don't see the Texans paying Osweiler $18 million a year, but it doesn't mean they won't check him out by calling Sexton to see what he's asking.

At Denver, Osweiler has been coached by Adam Gase, the new coach at Miami, and Kubiak. Both are highly respected quarterbacks coaches.

Osweiler also watched and learned from Manning after being drafted in the second round out of Arizona State.

If the Texans had him, they could use their first-round pick on a running back capable of replacing Arian Foster or a wide receiver with the kind of speed to take the top off a defense.

Dream on, Texans fans, but you better not wake up. Reality says this is a mediocre market for veteran quarterbacks. Teams don't let their good ones get away.

Especially a team coming off a Super Bowl victory with a general manager and coach who understand the position because they played quarterback in the NFL for a combined 25 years.

John McClain, a Waco native who graduated from Baylor in 1975, is in his 43rd year at the Houston Chronicle and his 40th covering the National Football League, including the Oilers and Texans. He worked for the Waco Tribune Herald from 1973-76, when he accepted a job with the Chronicle. to cover the original Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.

McClain has a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as the 2006 winner of the Dick McCann Memorial Award presented annually by the Pro Football Writers of America to a writer for his long and distinguished coverage of the NFL. He is past president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Committee and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

In 2015, he was named as a Gridiron Legend in Texas, becoming the third member of the media behind Dave Campbell and Mickey Herskowitz.

McClain can be heard six times a week on the Texans' flagship station Sports Radio 610 in Houston. He also does weekly sports talk shows in Nashville, Knoxville, Waco, Austin and San Antonio.

McClain also has appeared in eight movies: The Rookie, The Longest Yard, Spring Breakers, Secretariat, Invincible, Cook County, The Game Plan and Make It Rain.

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